the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen, h.r. 6620 is a commonsense bill that will ensure the continued safety of the white house by extending e the ability of the secret service to protect former presidents, and i'm proud to join with the chairman, mr. smith of judiciary, in support of this bill. for presidents who didn't serve prior to 1997, current federal law provides that the secret service's protection terminates 10 years after the president leaves office. the 10-year limitation was enacted in 1994 when the nature of threats to former presidents was more limited. but times have changed, and it's an unfortunate fact that former presidents will require secret service protection for the rest of their lives. therefore, this bill will simply restore the law to its prior form. when a president of the united states completes his term, they remain a symbol of our nation. sad